


Five Ways Immortality Could Have Been Different for Jack Harkness

by Sunnyrea



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-08-10
Updated: 2009-08-10
Packaged: 2017-10-07 17:26:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/67413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunnyrea/pseuds/Sunnyrea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>5 ways in which Jack could have had a different life, or really different lives as he lived forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Ways Immortality Could Have Been Different for Jack Harkness

**One.**

Grace descended the steps down to the lowest level of the Torchwood vaults. Bobby had already fed 'the lost people,' as they called those poor souls which the rift threw upon them, but there was one more person. Far at the end of the hall Grace came to the last cell and the lone occupant inside.

"Happy Anniversary," she said.

The man inside did not respond to her.

"Its year 37 now, though I'm sure you already know that."

"I do," he replied quietly.

Grace still remembered when she first met Jack Harkness. She'd already been working at Torchwood for seven months and hadn't even known the cells went down this far. Her first anniversary with him was number 32, during Jack's 'year of silence' as Tom called it. She hadn't believed in his immortality back then. Now she knew better.

"I've brought you a cake," Grace said holding up the small chocolate dessert.

"What's in it?" Jack replied sarcastically, "arsenic?"

"Cyanide," Grace countered.

"Classy."

"I'm also here to renew the offer, as usual. Going to say the same thing you always do?"

"Maybe I'll switch it up this year," Jack replied, lowering his hand from where it had been previously clasped over his eyes.

Grace raised her eyebrows but didn't say anything. Jack stared at her for a moment then suddenly stood up and walked over to the glass in front of her.

"Haven't you all spent enough time with this? Don't you get tired of coming down here and toying with me, getting the same answer every time? You know no matter how long you keep me here I'm never going to work for you."

"Then we'll keep you forever."

"What's the point?" Jack shouted, smacking his hand on the glass.

Grace jumped and the cake fell to the floor. Jack didn't even acknowledge it, just stared into her eyes.

"You're dangerous, Jack," Grace replied, pulling herself up tall. "You know that. You know you are."

"You are the ones who are dangerous."

She scoffed. "That's what you always say and you're always wrong."

"Torchwood is dangerous. Year after year you are ruining the future. The time will come when this isn't secret, when other creatures aren't just things in the dark. Your killing every alien that comes your way, crushing any supposed threat is burning bridges you can't repair."

"Think what you may, Jack," Grace replied, "but we're protecting the empire."

"That's complete crap."

"Do you like arguing with me like this?" Grace said, hands on her hips.

Jack sighed and crossed his arms. "You're the one that comes down here."

"I've got to make sure you haven't finally found your supposed way out of your cell, now don't I?"

Tom told her once about Jack, what he'd heard from his boss and before that and all the way back to Emily, the women who first imprisoned Jack. Back then in 1899 Jack had been all fire, so cocky and sure and ready to take them on. He always smiled and swaggered and knew he was right, like it was a game. Once they locked him up away from the world he would shout and scream and argue and try any means to get out or harass them. He never just laid back and took it. But gradually, as Emily watched and the years passed and new caretakers came and went, that fire died. It was almost a legend now to Grace, the darkness over taking the light in their captive immortal.

"If I'm such a threat," Grace focused on Jack's face as he spoke again, "If I'm so dangerous, why come and even talk to me then? Why not just leave me here to starve, die and come back in an endless cycle for eternity."

"Are you offering a suggestion?"

Jack didn't even sigh that time, just stared at her with his piercing gaze. It made her feel completely transparent when he looked at her like that.

"You can't keep me in here forever," Jack finally said pressing his hands flat against the glass. "We're at an impasse."

Grace laughed. "An impasse? You're the one in the cell, Jack, and you're the one who's staying there as long as we like. We can't have you out in the world unchecked."

"I was doing just fine before."

"And by fine you mean, dying every other week?"

"Don't mock what you don't understand."

Grace raised an eyebrow. "You think we don't understand you, Jack?"

Jack lowered his head slightly and glared at her from under his eyebrows. In an instant the feeling changed and Grace saw the Captain in him come out.

"Not at all."

She had to resist the urge to step back.

"I will not stay in here forever," he continued, moving even closer to the glass as if he could reach her.

Grace knew he couldn't touch her through the glass or even break out but the way he spoke made her fear for her life. God forbid he ever did escape; she felt if he did that every one of them would pay with their lives for keeping him there.

"I will get out of here one day whether by you letting me out or not. If nothing else the war will come and you will need me."

"War?" Grace said in surprise but Jack did not heed her words.

"I know the Doctor isn't coming for me. I know that now, but I will not spend eternity locked up by you, by Torchwood. I am not a specimen for you to contain. I don't care if it takes me another 37 years or even 100 but when I get out of this cell I am taking you down. Torchwood will fall. I can promise you that."

He stepped back from the glass and Grace felt herself shake. For once she could think of no retort, no maxim of the Torchwood Institute to fire back. Instead, she turned and walked away from him down the hall. By the time she reached the door to the stairs she was running.

**Two.**

"Jack, are you sure it's ready? We can wait a bit longer if you're not sure."

Jack smiled back at Estelle from where he worked against the wall.

"It's ready and it will work," he said then turned away. "It has to."

Putting two more drops into the main glass, Jack put down all his tools and breathed in slowly. Turning around Jack picked up a needle and the finished vial, bringing them over to where Estelle sat on the gurney. They were in an unused lab two levels down in the hub. He knew the others were out on a mission now but it didn't hurt to be careful, not with what they were doing.

"Jack," she said making him look up at her. "I know this might not work."

"Estelle..."

"I know that, Jack. I'm not blind. I can see what you feel, you know, and I know this isn't full proof."

Jack just smiled at her feeling a tremble in his hands. She always knew him, always knew when he wasn't telling her something. She could tell when he had doubts, when he was afraid; when he was so happy he could just burst. It was impossible to lie to her and somehow that felt wonderful.

"It's going to be fine," Jack said and if his fingers slipped on the glass a little it was only because he was sweating.

"Something bad could happen, Jack. Something could happen to me," she said, looking at him seriously.

He looked away, not wanting to hear what she had to say now. He knew this line of talk; the 'if I die' speech. He'd heard it from so many lovers before, so many who were now dead and gone.

"Jack," her hand touched his chin turning it to face her. "What you've made in that vial hasn't been done before. It's alien and it's you and I know there is danger."

"Estelle, I've tested it. I've worked hard and I know this will work."

She smiled - an expression that seemed to erase all doubt and fear. Sometimes Jack felt that if both sides of the war could just see her face, hear her voice, the fight would be over because who could feel any hate with her in the world?

"I'm not afraid, Jack, I trust you."

"Are you sure?" Jack said, that one seed of doubt remaining. "This is a no turning back point. If you think that you'd stop… if you think you wouldn't want…"

Estelle just smiled in her confident way. "I want to be just like you, Jack. I want to be with you. I'm sure."

Jack grinned, a feeling of bravery and recklessness he'd not felt in decades bursting inside him. It was going to work. One injection and it would be done. Now or never.

"All right, Estelle. You and me, together forever for real."

She kissed him as he pushed the needle into her arm. "For all eternity."

**Three.**

As the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS into Canary Warf, Jackie in tow, he was brought up short by a sight he did not expect. He'd expected the soldiers, yes, heard them shouting, what he had not expected was Captain Jack Harkness. He was standing right in the middle of the troops, stationed so he stood directly in line with the TARDIS door. He wanted the Doctor to see him first.

It wasn't often that the Doctor didn't know what to say but now was one of those times. Jack didn't look very happy to see him.

"Doctor," Jack said curtly. "Welcome to Torchwood One, you are under arrest."

"What?" The Doctor snapped.

"He's to the point, isn't he," Jackie grumbled beside him.

Jack nodded a fraction and looked past the Doctor at the TARDIS door.

"Rose?" he called. "Come out."

The door didn't move.

"She's gone Jack," The Doctor lied, putting on his best serious face. "She doesn't travel with me anymore."

"You just bring her mother around every where then?" Jack replied.

"Hang on, how does he know who I am?" Jackie snapped.

The Doctor sighed in annoyance and closed his eyes briefly. Behind him he heard the door of the TARDIS open. He turned and saw Rose closing the door. She gave him a quick confused glance and then they both faced Jack again.

"Rose Tyler," Jack said. "You are also under arrest."

"Arrest?" She said.

"All three of you are now prisoners of the Torchwood Institute."

"Jack," Rose said stepping forward. "What is going on? I thought you were… the Doctor said…"

Jack turned his chin slightly and glanced briefly behind her at the Doctor. Suddenly the Doctor realized what was going on. This was his fault.

"I'm sure the Doctor said something, Rose. He always does."

Rose turned and looked back at him but the Doctor just shook his head.

"You see, Rose," Jack said turning the girl's attention back to him. "I'm not the man you knew before. I've lived long enough to have left that man behind."

"I don't understand."

"No," Jack said to Rose though his eyes were on the Doctor. "I'm sure you wouldn't."

"Tell us what is going on, Jack," The Doctor said. "What is Torchwood?"

Jack waved a hand around to indicate the large hanger they were in and many crates behind him. "This is Torchwood One, the first line of defense for Great Britain against all alien threats. If it's alien it's ours that includes you Doctor."

"What!?" Rose shouted.

"Men!" Jack said.

Six men approached, two for each of them, seizing their arms. Then all of them turned and marched down a path through the hanger, a few men staying by the TARDIS.

"Jack," the Doctor said, trying to get through to the man he'd known. "This place, those ghosts out there, these troops, all this it's… I know this isn't you."

"Doctor," Jack said, stopping to look at the Time Lord full on. "139 years is a long time. You don't know me anymore." He paused, then turned and resumed walking as he spoke. "And I don't think I ever knew you."

"Jack…"

"Any bond, any relationship we had, Doctor," Jack said, a faint tone of resentment in his voice, "that died when you left me to live forever alone."

**Four.**

"Alice?" Jack called up the stairs. "You ready?"

Alice came trotting down just as he spoke, sweater in hand.

"You know, dad," she said as she reached the bottom. "I'm still not sure about this."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "We're only looking."

"Steven's never been away from me all day long before and-"

"Oh, yes, he has," Jack said, handing Alice her purse. "He's been with me many times without you before."

She sighed. "Family then, but that's not the point. I'm not sure I even want to put him in day care. He's only two and you know what people say about those places."

"Alice."

"Dad," she retorted in the same tone of voice, "he is my son."

"And my grandson."

"Tell that to anybody."

He pursed his lips slightly and Alice sighed. She looked away at the wall then turned back.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just nervous about leaving him with strangers. The way mum used to talk about how there would always be trouble and how she needed to protect me from…"

She sighed in frustration.

"Hey," Jack said running a hand down her arm. "That's why we changed your name, Alice. That's why I left Torchwood. Everything's fine now. You and Steven are perfectly safe."

She smiled. "You live here, dad. We can't be perfectly safe."

Jack looked away at her words and Alice knew she should have just kept quiet. It didn't matter that it was true.

Walking over to the hooks by the door, Jack picked up his short black coat.

"I wanted to be a part of your life," Jack said shrugging on his coat and turning around to face her. "You mother wanted me gone but that didn't mean I had to abandon you."

"I know."

"You could have told me to go too."

Alice sighed. "I know, dad."

She looked away from him and gripped the strap of her purse. It was a hard conversation, one they'd had many times over the two years her father had lived with her after Steven was born. Jack was indeed her father but every year it looked less and less so. They both felt the strangeness of the situation despite how hard they tired to not make it difficult.

"It's hard sometimes living like this," she finally said, "watching myself grow older as you stay as you were when I was born. You know that."

He nodded slightly.

"But, I love you, dad. I want you to be here. I want Steven to know you. I want him to have you as a part of his life. You can be a great dad, you know."

Jack laughed and tipped her chin.

"And you are a great daughter."

She grinned and nodded. "Chip off the old block, eh?"

"Harkness genes in you."

"Not just the good looks?"

Jack barked a laugh as he buttoned up his coat. Alice looked up at him, his hair always the same and his blue eyes which she inherited. Suddenly, she reached out and took his hand in hers.

"I know you did the best you could back then with me and with mum wanting me away from you and Torchwood. I know that you want a second try now with Steven."

"Alice…"

She squeezed his hand. "You have it." He blinked at her suddenly looking surprised. "I know you can be a wonderful grandfather to Steven. He is your second chance and I want you to have it. You both deserve it."

He breathed in slowly and began to smile. "Thank you."

Alice smiled right back at him, twin expressions. "And you're still being a father to me."

"I try," he replied quietly. For a moment he looked as though he was going to say something else but then he glanced down at his watch and back up at her with a smile, mood flipped over. "So? Are we going?"

Alice regarded him calmly then nodded her head, sucking in a breath. "Yeah, can't hurt to look, can it?"

"Of course not," Jack replied. "I'll go get Steven and then we're off."

"Dad," Alice said, stopping Jack in his tracks as he turned to go back down the hall. "I love you."

"I love you too, Alice."

**Five.**

"Jack!"

Cracking open one eye, Jack looked at the clock and saw the time glowing back at him, 8:35. No fucking way.

"Five more minutes," he mumbled into the pillow.

"Jack, come on!" Ianto's voice came again.

In response Jack rolled over, grabbed Ianto's vacant pillow and dropped it onto his face. Clearly, Ianto would not be able to find him now thus disguised as bedding.

"Jack." The pillow over his head was lifted away. "Come on, you can't lie in all day."

"Yes, I can," Jack said, refusing to open his eyes. "I'm the Captain."

He heard Ianto sigh. "You use that excuse just about every morning. When did you become such a sleeper?"

"When I moved in with you and you had such a damn comfortable bed. You only have yourself to blame."

He heard Ianto sigh again above him and couldn't stop himself from grinning. "Am I frustrating you, Mr. Jones?"

Suddenly he felt Ianto's lips on his own and a hand in his hair. Jack reached up and slid his hand along Ianto's neck. As he felt Ianto's lips move away, Jack opened his eyes. Ianto smiled at him and kissed him once more.

"Just as much as usual."

Jack only laughed.

Ianto, as per usual, was already half dressed with his black pants and blue shirt on looking like he'd been already awake an hour. It would be more amusing if it didn't also feel so warm and safe, like home.

Then Jack's happy thoughts of semi-domesticity were interrupted as Ianto yanked the covers off of him leaving him suddenly naked to the chill of the room. He almost yelped in surprise and tried to grab the covers back but to no avail.

Jack pursed his lips and sat up. "That wasn't very nice."

Ianto raised his eyebrows and looked Jack up and down. "Looks nice from where I'm standing."

Jack grinned smugly and slowly planted his hands on the bed behind himself, leaning back. "Oh really?"

Ianto breathed in slowly, a faint growling noise coming from the back of his throat. Damn, Jack loved getting that noise to come out of the Welshman.

"We need to get to the hub…" Ianto said faintly but he was eyeing Jack like he was breakfast.

"Really?" Jack said, leaning back more with clear deliberate intent so he was on his elbows nearly lying back down. "Right now?"

"No, not right now," Ianto replied.

Then he broke and before Jack could even laugh in triumph Ianto was on top of him, pushing him onto his back with hands and lips.

"Good morning to you too," Jack said between kisses.

"Shut up," Ianto said, "or would you prefer me to stop?"

"Definitely not."

Ianto grabbed Jack's wrists, holding them down on the bed and looked down at Jack for one second with a somewhat evil expression on his face. Then his hips moved in the most delicious way, Jack gasped, and Ianto was kissing him again.

"God, do that aga-ahhhhh!" Jack moaned as Ianto bit his neck.

"Shh," Ianto said with a laugh in his voice. "You're being very distracting."

"Isn't that the idea?"

"Hmmm," Ianto murmured as he assaulted Jack's neck, "something like that."

Ianto's mouth moved down to Jack's chest and his hands released Jack's arms in favor of moving down to his ass. Nails scraped over tender flesh and Jack couldn't stop a slight hiss of pleasurable pain. Ianto's hand curved around Jack's hip to grab his cock when suddenly Jack's cellphone rang.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Jack snapped at the same time Ianto groaned in annoyance.

Kissing Jack on the stomach once, Ianto sat up and turned over to grab Jack's cell off the bedside table.

"Yeah, Gwen?"

Jack stared up at the ceiling thinking about the various ways in which he would get Gwen back for this.

"Ok, yeah, we can stop by on the way in. Yeah, tell Rhys I said hi."

Ianto laughed and Jack forced himself to sit up glancing over at the phone conversation.

"Yes, tell the baby hello too."

"Don't say hello from me," Jack grumped.

Ianto just raised an eyebrow and hung up the phone.

"We get to stop at the hospital on the way in."

"Weevil victim?"

"Nope, something new and unknown."

"Sounds like just our style."

"Yes, sir," Ianto replied with a nod.

Standing up, Ianto held out a hand for Jack, pulling the other up from the bed.

"Make some coffee, would you?" Jack asked.

Ianto scoffed. "Who do you think you are living with? It's already done."

Jack laughed. "That's my man."

"Of course," Ianto replied, pressing a hard kiss to Jack's lips. "Time for work."


End file.
